There's a Wampa Ice Creature in my Fridge
by DWH
Summary: The heater on the Ebon Hawk is broken, and people are cold. Except for Carth, apparently. An ode to my house's heater. :P


1"Leiraya, is that you?"

A muffled voice sounded out from under the mounds of blankets. "Who does it look like?"

"It _looks_ like a moving lump huddled under a bunch of blankets," Carth replied. "But I suppose the stray purple hairs poking out should have been a hint."

Leiraya poked her head up, an irritated expression on her face. "Ha ha, see how I laugh. It's cold!"

"Yes," he agreed. "It gets that way on spaceships."

"No, not just on spaceships," she protested. "Have you noticed that the heat is no longer working properly?"

Carth paused. It _had_ seemed more frigid than usual, but he had been on some ships that had been fairly chilly. "How's that?"

Her expression shifted from irritated to exasperated. "Do I look like a maintenance person? I have no idea. All I know is that I'm _cold._"

"Yeah, it is!" Mission shivered as she walked into the main lounge of the _Ebon Hawk_. "Got any extra blankets there?"

"Here, I'll share." Leiraya offered half of the thermal blanket and scooted to the end of the seat. Mission gladly accepted and soon both of them were huddled beneath the blanket, Carth left staring at them.

"You two are ridiculous, you know that?"

"Hey, just because you have the constitution of a Wampa doesn't make us ridiculous," Leiraya protested.

"Yeah," Mission agreed. "We're not alone on this one."

"I don't see anyone else huddled like tachs in a snowstorm."

"Don't even _mention_ snow," Bastila walked into the lounge, looking sourly at Carth, wrapped in a blanket and holding a steaming cup of hot chocolate. "And aren't you supposed to be good with ships? You should be working on fixing this."

"There's nothing wrong with the temperature," Carth insisted. "You're all just... small."

_That_ proved to be exactly the wrong thing to say.

"I can kill you, you know," Bastila looked at him darkly.

Leiraya nodded in agreement. "Furthermore, both she and I can kill you with our _brains._"

"And I can't kill you with my brain, but I can steal everything you own," Mission scowled.

"Besides, it's not just because we're small." Leiraya huddled beneath the blanket. "It's because we're cold, and this is what people _do_ when they're cold."

"And yet, I don't see anyone besides you three huddled here."

"That's what you said last time," Mission pointed out.

"What's all this noise?" Aiden walked in, free of any blankets, but clearly bundled up. He was wearing three layers of mismatched Jedi robes, and had a makeshift scarf wrapped around his neck. In his gloved hands he held a large cup of caf, which he held close to his chest.

"I think this is the noise of vindication," Bastila smirked.

Aiden looked confused. "Huh?"

"You look like it's cold in here," Leiraya observed.

"Of course I do," he replied. "It's a damned _icebox_ in here. Ship's temperature is twenty degrees below where it's supposed to be."

"Carth doesn't seem to think this is a problem," Mission said, pulling the blanket closer to her.

Aiden looked at Carth incredulously. "Are you kidding me? This really can't go on. I was just going to try to find you so you could _do_ something about it."

Carth looked like he was going to say something, then sighed in defeat. "I should just give this up, shouldn't I?"

Bastila nodded and sipped her hot chocolate. "It really is a losing battle, Carth."

"Then I guess I'll be going to fix the heat," he reluctantly replied, then turned and left the lounge.

Silence hung in the room for a few moments, with all its occupants focusing on trying to maintain some amount of warmth. Bastila curled up in her chair with her chocolate, Aiden sat down next to her, setting his drink down and rubbing his hands together. Leiraya and Mission continued to huddle on the long seat, slowly warming up from the frigid air.

A thud, clatter, and string of curses broke the silence. Leiraya looked up, out the door, then over at Bastila's drink. "Got any more of that stuff?"


End file.
